Azlanti Keep (District)
Azlanti Keep is a working fortification, but it’s also so large as to qualify as its own district. It’s the home and domain of the First Guard, the main element of the army of Val Royeaux. The First Guard watches the gates, mans the walls and commands most other Val Royeaux forces in times of war. It also serves as a check of power of other groups within Val Royeaux, for the commission to command of the First Guard is for life and its oath is to protect the city, not the Grand Council. Points of Interest The Outer Gate The largest gate in Val Royeaux and perhaps all of Borczeg, the Outer Gate stands 200 feet high, half that wide and 20 feet thick. Supposedly designed by Moradin himself, the Outer Gate is so thick that it has internal guard positons, including a wide balcony on each gate that permits fire directly down. In the history of Val Royeaux, no enemy force has ever breached this gate, though the First Guard has records of the thousands of soldiers who have given their lives defending it from spells, monsters, demons and siege weapons alike. The Grand Vault The largest single, open room in Val Royeaux, this massive interior space is the last refuge should Val Royeaux’s city wall and the outer sections of Azlanti Keep fall to enemies. It is large enough to hold thousands of soldiers and residents at once, and the First Guard holds all assemblies here, under the banners and pennants of a hundred war companies that have failed to penetrate the keep’s defenses. Little Roofs Though every rooftop in Azlanti Keep is accessible from within and serves as a platform for siege weapons and massed archers, a series of roofs spanning the southern edge has not been manned in centuries. Known as the “Little Roofs”, this area is a common gathering place for off-duty members of the Guard. Open Quartering Anywhere else, this would be called a market but in Azlanti Keep the Open Quartering (also called The Open) is where the surplus goods and material acquired by the Quartermaster are sold at reasonable prices by rasars (soldiers working in supply houses for the Quartermaster). The Quartermaster and his rasars sell everything with very little eye for profit, which keeps prices low (10% to 25% lower than the market average). However, only members of the First Guard or the various district guards may shop the Open Quartering and none may buy more of something than a rasar determines could be used by a household of four (to prevent reselling on the open market). Thus merchants and common citizens are cut off from the cheap goods of the Open and guards can often find things more cheaply than merchants can get wholesale, which is a point of mild friction. Though it’s not common, the Grand Council can grant individuals honorary commissions within the First Guard. Such ceremonial ranks grant no right to enforce laws or wander the secure areas of Azlanti Keep, but they do grant the right to buy in the Open. Lord Gyr grants such rights more often than the Emperor did, usually to young adventurers who have taken some risk for the benefit of the city or the Grand Council without being hired to do so. The Quartermaster recently ruled that the Muckrakers (unpaid guards of the Puddles) did not qualify for Open Quartering, though few made the trip anyway. This has become a popular cause among merchants, who claim it is a violation of the city trade laws. Craft Vaults These are a vast, interconnected series of workshops, stables and armories constantly working to keep the First Guard ready to fight. They are ostensibly under the command of Lord Yuvin Vatir in his role as Quartermaster, but in truth are directly overseen by Chun Fe Seung. She is a master craftswoman in her own right and is constantly working to improve upon the designs currently in use by the First Guard, even working to improve the Keep. Bunk Fields This is a dull, uniform section of row after row of simple bunks. Since the First Guard is never at more than 20% capacity unless Val Royeaux is actively under siege, the vast majority of these rooms are empty and may be the site of unsanctioned games of chance, assignations or trysts. Knight Country The upper reaches of the keep are reserved for siege crews, specialists and senior members of the Guard. Known as Knight Country, this are area admits only those with invitations of badges marking them as one of these groups (or a squire to someone in the group). The Vents The lowest reaches of Azlanti Keep are abandoned halls and narrow corridors that run alongside and bridge over vast vents leading deep into the Earth. Steam often comes up from the vents and the smell of brimstone can sometimes be detected. These reaches are only connected to the upper sections of the Keep through four rooms, each easily held by just a few men. These rooms are always manned, though there is no record of anything happening in the vents for more than a century.